Google is building an Amazon Echo rival: Report

Search giant Google is building an Amazon Echo clone, claims a report in The Information. According to the report, Google is working on to create a competitor to Amazon's echo.

The Information's report claims that tensions with Nest has made Google decide to work on the product with its own team. In fact quoting The Information, a report in The Verge claims that Nest had requested to be a part of the project, but was turned away by the Google team leading the effort.

In the two years since its acquisition by Google in 2014, Nest reportedly hasn’t released a new hardware product, other than an updated version of a camera it inherited with the Dropcam acquisition. Several products are said to be in development.

According to The Information report, Nest is facing a high rate of attrition. At a all-hands meeting for engineers at the company's office in California, founder Matt Rogers said that he was "losing sleep" over an exodus of staffers.

The Echo now ranks among Seattle-based Amazon's top-selling items in consumer electronics, although the company hasn't specified how many have been sold so far. "The response has been nothing short of incredible," boasted David Limp, Amazon's senior vice president of devices recently.

Meanwhile Nest is said to be building an "operating system for the home" in a fresh attempt to reach mainstream consumers. The company is best known for its internet-connected thermostats and smoke alarms.

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